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Transportation Simulation

Transportation Simulation / Package Testing Laboratory

Transportation simulation testing involves the application or simulation of environments found in the transport of goods and equipment. These environments may include vibration, drop or shock, temperature, loose cargo or bounce, as well as other dynamic or climatic environments. Products and equipment are usually tested in the “shipping” configuration which means they would be packed in the default shipping container or transit case during the test. However, some items may also be tested in an unpacked state if there is an expectation that they might frequently be transported in that manner. Tests are performed not only to test the effects of transport on the product itself, but also to test the adequacy of shipping container design and the interaction between product and container during shipping. There are a number of possible modes of transport for any given item subject to shipping.

The most common modes are:

Road (truck or trailer)

Rail (train)

Sea (shipboard container)

Air (airplane or helicopter)

Testing may be carried out with environments tailored according to the specific mode of transport expected, or if specific modes are not known, more generalized tests may be applied. One or more of the following environments may be applied in order to test for the effects of transport and shipping:

If validation or certification to a test standard (such as ASTM or ISTA) is desired, it is necessary to subject a prescribed number of shipping units to a test plan consisting of a defined sequence of hazard elements which would be encountered in the distribution environment. The test plan or procedure from the applicable standard provides a uniform basis of evaluating the ability of the shipping units and contents to withstand the distribution environment and seeks to accomplish this in a controlled and repeatable manner. The test plan calls for utilizing established testing methods and equipment at levels representative of those encountered in actual distribution or at defined accelerated levels with a proven effectiveness. NTS has the capability to perform the following tests applicable to the transport and shipping environments:

Vibration

Shock

Loose Cargo/Bounce

Free Fall (Transit) drop

Package drop

Temperature

Humidity

NTS is also certified as an International Safe Transit Association (ISTA) Certified package Testing Laboratory for procedures Series 1: 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D; and Series 2: 2A, 2B